A Balance of Life
by Dr1v3n t0 1n5aN1Ty
Summary: For x Step On Me x's MRChallenge: A rescue attempt goes haywire, and Max and Ari accidentally switch bodies. Is there a way to reverse this, or will they be stuck like that forever?
1. Switch

DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride was not mine, is not mine, and will never be mine...

A/N: This is for x Step On Me x's Maximum Ride Challenge! I mean, I don't think anyone has done a Max/Ari switch yet... -squints-

* * *

"_...experiment seems to be behaving normally... tests show blood levels are slightly elevated... shouldn't have happened... Batchelder will pay..._"

I opened my eyes, blinking away blurry hazes. Where was I? Or rather, _who_ was I?... Max... Yes, that was my name... I was tied down to a metal surface, and couldn't move. A sickly sweet antisepticky smell reached my sensitive nose. The School!

All those thoughts should have raced through my head in seconds, yet it took me almost a full minute to comprehend everything, I realized. Narrowing my eyes, I yelled – or tried to, only a groan came out – "What have you frickin' _done_?!"

My own voice surprised me. It was low, and gravelly, too... Kind of like...

"Experiment 2476 is awake!"

The panicky voice slowly made itself understood in my sluggish brain, but it was too late. There was a sharp pain in my right thigh, and then only darkness could be seen. I later understood that a tranquilizer had been injected into my blood system.

Damn.

* * *

My eyes snapped open. My arms were strapped to a steel-topped surface, my arms and legs immobilized. I quickly ran through what I remembered had happened, and realized the truth with a shock. No, it was just a dream, a nightmare. Me... Max... and Fang, too...

"Crap."

A feminine voice made its way through my throat. Anger bubbled inside of me, but there was nothing I could do, nothing... At least until the whitecoats came, of course. But it had all been a mistake! A freakin' _mistake_!

I, Ari Batchelder, had become _Max_.

* * *

A/N: Agh, short, I know! But, hey, an intro is an intro! I quite like this idea though... Reviews would be welcome? 


	2. Capture

A/N: Long chapter! Ehm, loooooooong, long chapter! So rejoice, people!

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_**

**_Max_**

I winced as I slowly lifted my head. My head, which was now a big, wolfie head. An _Eraser_ head.

It seemed that my favorite nightmare had come true, though not in the way I thought it would. Yes, I was Max, and yes, I was an Eraser, but this really couldn't be real. Or could it?

I observed the room I was in, but it was really more like a large cage. Somehow, I knew that the walls were steel-enforced, and that since even one airhole made me potentially dangerous, there was an air filter; my lifeline. Now how did I know that?

Racking my memory, I tried to think. What happened? How had I gotten here? Why was I an _Eraser_, for God's sake!

And just like that, the answer came.

– – – –

"Haha, Max, you're _sooo_ funny." Fang raised a dark eyebrow at me, his voice sarcastic. I laughed, and stuck my tongue out at him.

It was a month after the Itex explosion, and we were somewhere in Maine, relaxing, and for once, not running our butts off.

Iggy and the kids were inside an abandoned house we had found, doing who knows what. I, on the other hand, floated lazily on the surface of a lake, on my back and with my wings stretched out – yeah, bird-kids can float, amazing, no?

I had just splashed Fang a little – okay, maybe a lot – and he was busy wringing out his wet clothes. I studied him, admiring his fine muscles, wonderin– no, I couldn't think like that; _wouldn't_!... At least the Voice wasn't there to nag me on and on endlessly.

I got up out of the lake and walked back into the house, not bothering to dry my wet clothes. Poking my head through the kitchen doorway, I expected to find Iggy making one of his famous food "experiments." But no one was there. Puzzled, I stalked into the living room, a feeling of dread knotting up in my stomach, for some reason. I could hear the silence the house held. _Please, let Iggy be there... or Nudge... Gazzy... Angel..._

Telling myself that this was all a giant joke the Gasman had made up, I braced my self and walked into the room. And almost fainted.

– – – –

I gasped, remembering what it had felt like. A moment of fun, then a feeling of foreboding... I inhaled deeply through my wolf snout, and exhaled. I shifted myself, and realized with a painful start that I had _wings_. Must be one of those newer models, but why did I feel out of proportion so much? Glancing down at myself at distaste, I wondered how to transform myself so that I looked at least a bit more human-ish...

– – – –

The living room was a mess. Wires, papers, glass and other trash lay strewn all over the floor. Ash and soot covered a corner where one of Gazzy's miniature bombs must have gone off. I closed my eyes, trying to keep the angry tears in. There was only one conclusion to be made: Erasers. They had taken Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel! It would be torture for them, especially for my little Angel.

"Max!" I heard Fang's strangled yell, and immediately went on full alert. Adrenaline coursed through me as I raced out to aid Fang.

I found him surrounded by Erasers, at least fifty of them. About fifty more lay still on the ground, and Fang was bleeding out of the various cuts and slashes he had gotten. But _fifty_, on his _own_? I would have been impressed, besides the fact that now the Erasers were staring at _me_. Oh Lord.

"Max, how nice to see you!" Ari's venomous voice filtered between the ranks of transformed wolves, and in an instant, he was suddenly standing right in front of me. "Come to you so-called 'brother's' rescue, eh?"

Not pausing to wonder why he was making small talk, I snarled and punched Ari straight in his barrel chest. The blow would have killed a regular person, but Ari, being the not-so-regular monster, staggered back only a little. He recovered quickly – almost _too_ quickly, in my opinion – and grabbed me by the neck. And the fight was on.

Even though I was dangling from Ari's grasp, I managed to swing my legs up and kick him even harder, if possible. I was free, and promptly assessed the situation. Fang was fighting, but he was weak; the Erasers were closing in on him. In a whirlwind, I barged straight through the many mutants, and said, "Take it to the air!"

With that, we opened our wings and flapped hard. I smiled grimly as I felt my wings clip more than one Eraser. We were outta here. And in a flash, I was falling.

– – – –

I groaned. Now I knew. I knew, I knew, I knew! Why had I woken up at the School? Shot down. I'd needed to find Iggy, Nudge, and Angel. Who knew where they were now? Then, Ari. This was _Ari's_ body I was in, I was sure of it! I could only hope Fang was safe... Fang...

– – – –

* * *

_**Ari**_

I paced back and forth in front of the five whitecoats. They had insolent grins on their faces, happy, yes _happy_, that their _experiment_ had worked. _Happy_!!

"Can you reverse this, and when?" I demanded. At this, their grins faltered.

"Yes we can, but much of the equipment was ruined, so– "

I grabbed the front of the lab coat of the scientist who had spoken. "_When_."

He gulped for air and stuttered out, "N-not... s-sur-re..."

I threw him into the plaster-covered wall. Not as hard as I'd have liked to. I stared at my hands – no, _Max's_ hands. So smooth, so small, so... _Max_! I looked into a mirror and frowned. Even when she frowned, Max was pretty. Thinking back to that day, I growled.

– – – –

"Do not kill, if possible. Remember to follow your orders!" I barked. I glanced around at my Eraser troops, sitting in trees, waiting. _Jeb had actually let me do this! _I put a pair of binoculars to my partially deformed face, gazing at Max. There she was, floating in the lake, so beautiful, so perfect...

There were close to one hundred fifty Erasers with me. A large amount for such a small "flock." Smirking evilly at the thought of revenge, I said, "Go."

Instantly, everyone crept toward the house. We reached the old house with no difficulty, and even I had to smile. _So far, so good_.

I locked eyes with my second-in-command, Kirin, and nodded. He started passing instructions for our next move.

Slowly, sleeping gas penetrated into the building. But no muffled _THUD_s of falling bird-mutants were heard. Could the rumor that they were immune to it be true?

I made the "cut" motion to Kirin and the gas was stopped. Plan B was needed. Plan B was all about stealth.

Sneaking inside, laughter and cheerful shouts could be heard. "Good, they haven't noticed us," I whispered.

But I'd spoken too soon. Going past the kitchen, the laughs were cut off, and there was a sudden silence. In a louder whisper, I ordered, "Charge!"

The next few moments were a blur. Bing, bang, a kick here, a punch there... I heard a small explosion, too. Needless to say, they were no match at all. Not without Max or Fang, anyway.

"Retreat."

We all snuck out, a good thing, since I just _somehow_ knew Max would be coming in soon. Now how did I know?

Anyway, I commanded fifty Erasers to escort the captured mutants back to the School. Looking around, I saw many nursing scratches and wounds. Miraculously, I was unhurt, with not even a scratch. After a minute, I said, "Come on, time to take out Fang."

We tried to catch the bastard by surprise, but his hearing was just too good. He took out about fifty of us, and it was a face-off. The stupid bird-kid was bleeding so much, I knew he would pass out soon. With a strained voice, he yelled, "Max!"

It was our mistake to let him call her. She was out of the house in a flash, and stared at us. Walking towards her, I put on a smile, saying, "Max, how nice to see you! Come to you so-called 'brother's' rescue, eh?" She punched me as a reply. _Alright, no more conversation, you will regret that punch Max!!_

I grabbed her by the neck, but she kicked me hard and started what I call her "battle fury." I mean, have you ever seen her fight? A killing machine, she is.

I watched as Max screamed to Fang, "_Take it to the air!_" and smiled. They wouldn't be up there for long. Motioning to my shooters, they fired tranquilizers into the air. Their aims were perfect, and the two came tumbling down right away.

I sniffed haughtily. "Take them to the chopper," I told Kirin. He smirked, and nodded. We were on our way to the School.

– – – –

Ari sighed, and gave the whitecoats one last glare before walking out of the room. He went to his own room and flopped onto the bed. Shaking his, no, _Max's_ head, Ari thought, _When will this be over..._

And just then, somewhere in the back of his head, Ari heard a voice.

"_Max?!_"

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A/N: It took me for-e-ver to update! Forever, meaning not as fast as I'd have liked... And this is so extrememly long that even I have trouble believing it! Well, long for my standards! I had to sqish everything in because this story can only be 5 chapters. _Five!!_ -sob- I hope none of the flashbacks were confusing... More info will be in the next long chapter! Please Review!


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